Truly one of the most historically significant automobiles in NHRA history, Don “The Snake” Prudhomme’s 1982 Pontiac Trans Am-bodied nitro Funny Car, the “Pepsi Challenger, rewrote drag racing history on two separate occasions during the 1982 NHRA season in an era when such NHRA champions as Kenny Bernstein, Raymond Beadle, and Frank Hawley were constantly put to the test by Prudhomme’s dominance.

On May 29, 1982 at the NHRA Cajun Nationals in Baton Rouge, LA, Prudhomme drove this car to the sport’s first 250 MPH Funny Car pass during qualifying, 250.00 MPH. And on September 4th at the 1982 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, IN—drag racing’s most prestigious event—Prudhomme ran an amazing 5.637-second elapsed time, which was nearly 2/10 of a second quicker than the existing national record, despite the fact the engine suffered considerable internal damage on the run. It is still considered the greatest single Funny Car pass in NHRA history.

Both of his spectacular runs were listed on the NHRA’s 60 Greatest Moments which were compiled in 2011 to commemorate the NHRA’s 60th anniversary. In 2001, Prudhomme, the first racer in NHRA history to win four consecutive Funny Car world championships (1975-1978), was chosen No. 3 on the list of the NHRA’s All-Time 50 Greatest Drivers.

Tuned by Prudhomme’s longtime Hall of Fame crew chief, Bob Brandt, the “Pepsi Challenger” won three NHRA national events in 1982, qualified No. 1 four times, and carried “The Snake” to a third-place finish in the championship points.

The “Pepsi Challenger” has been restored to the exact race-ready condition in which it competed in 1982. The 484-cubic-inch, all-aluminum Hemi engine, built by the great Keith Black, which powered this landmark Funny Car to its barrier-breaking 250 MPH run, is still mounted in its chrome-moly tubular chassis along with its two-speed racing transmission.

Prudhomme retired as a driver at the end of the 1994 NHRA season after scoring a total of 49 national event victories in both Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car, placing him No. 8 all-time on the list of professional winners. He drove to eight career victories at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in both categories and added three more victories there as an owner, in 1995, 2001, and 2005 with his Top Fuel driver, Larry Dixon.

Offered from Prudhomme’s own private collection, the 1982 Pontiac Trans Am “Pepsi Challenger” represents the first time any of the legendary, record-setting racecars owned by this world-renowned drag racer have been made available for sale.

HIGHLIGHTS

- First Funny Car in NHRA history to run 250 MPH in the quarter mile; Set national record at Baton Rouge, May 1982
- Set national record 5.73 elapsed time at the 1982 US Nationals at Indianapolis
- First Funny Car in NHRA history to run in the 5.6 second range: 5.637 seconds, Indy Sept. 1982
- Posted NHRA National event victories at Montreal and Englishtown, NJ; the 33rd and 34th career wins for Don Prudhomme
- No. 1 qualifier four times: Baton Rouge, Columbus, Indy and Orange County
- Original engine
- Original body designed by Pontiac motorsports
- Original tin work by H&H Racecraft
- Original chassis by Tony Casarez

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